More than 4,300 Athletes Expected for Novant Health Wilmington Marathon

Travel industry partners in Wilmington and our island beaches will welcome more than 4,000 athletes and their families at the end of February for the 14th Annual Novant Health Wilmington Marathon.

The 2024 Novant Health Wilmington Marathon presented by Wicked Weed Brewing will take place on Saturday, Feb. 24 and includes a full marathon, Toyota of Wilmington half-marathon, marathon relay and the Fleet Feet 5K and Lidl 1-mile run presented by Truist on Friday, Feb. 23.
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Approximately 4,300 athletes are expected this year who will be joined by family members, spectators and event volunteers that will more than double the number of attendees for the weekend. Athletes and attendees will stay at various hotels and spend time at local restaurants, businesses and attractions over the race weekend. Race schedules, course maps, sponsors, volunteer opportunities and other event information can be found online at www.WilmingtonNCMarathon.com.

“We are excited for another record year for Southeastern North Carolina’s biggest road race and we love bringing the community together to achieve personal goals and run for a purpose,” states Tom Clifford, event organizer and founder of Without Limits, “We are also excited to race for Nourish NC and all of our charity partners and volunteer groups that get involved on marathon day! Come out and cheer and help the runners run across Wilmington from the Beach to the Boardwalk.”

The marathon course will start in Wrightsville Beach at Johnnie Mercer Pier on Saturday. The full marathon, half-marathon and marathon relay courses will lead downtown, with the full marathon continuing through a loop at Greenfield Lake. All races will finish at Live Oak Bank Pavilion. The Fleet Feet 5K and kid’s Lidl 1-mile will start and finish downtown at Live Oak Bank Pavilion. Roads will be open to traffic throughout race events with detours to minimize any disruptions to morning commutes.

Without Limits, an organization providing coaching services and products to runners and triathlon athletes, directs both the Novant Health Wilmington Marathon and the Parkway Subaru Battleship NC Half Marathon, which is one of the oldest half marathons in the South and brought more than 2,500 participants to our destination this past November.

“We are always excited to welcome races and sports events back to Wilmington and our island beaches. Hosting races provides a wonderful opportunity to showcase the destination to families who are traveling from strong visitor feeder markets,” said Kim Hufham, president/CEO of the New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority. “We hope the participants and their families enjoy their visit and return for future races and family vacations.”